I applied to be an intern for the season starting on March 5, 2016 on their website. I got a response from their London recruitment team, which I thought a bit odd since I'm in the western US. A phone interview was set up where I was asked questions about my goals, thoughts on geopolitical issues and the interviewer explained how the company works. I received an e-mail the next day saying I didn't "fit in" as an analyst but they would offer me a 4-month internship with the possibility of becoming an analyst later on. I thought that was strange because I wasn't applying to be an analyst. I know I still have more to learn and want to get more experience.

I had a phone interview for this position which asked me a little about myself and my experiences and then began to ask a lot more about my policy focus area (China/East Asia, in my case). The interviewer asked my opinion on a lot of current events-related topics and gave me an opportunity to explain my perceptions and ideas in detail. The bulk of the interview questions seemed to be aimed at assessing my analytical skills and knowledge of geopolitics.